No Social Welfare Contributions made for one year before State Pension is due to be paid.

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SlurrySlump

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I will get a small occupational pension when I reach 65 from my employer. It will most likely not be subject to tax. I am not sure about PRSI though.

I will not get the State Pension until I am 66.

I know that people are signing on for unemployment benefit to bridge this gap, even though they have no intention of taking up employment. They are however making a declaration that they are available for work. The government is turning a blind eye to this.

I do not want to do this. It is cheating, demeaning and I do not wish to help the government sort out the mess that they have created for themselves.

However I am concerned that if I do nothing, I am aware that I will not be making any social welfare contributions for one year. From age 65 to 66.

If I do not make any social welfare contributions in the year before my state pension can this impact on getting the state pension when I apply?
 
Once you are over age 62 you can claim the Jobseekers Benefit and the Dept of Soc Prot do not expect you to be actively seeking work . Furthermore if you are over 65, they will pay the Jobseekers for the 12 months up to when you start the State Pension. By getting Jobseekers you then get PRSI credits for the year.
If you decide not to claim (???) then you could still sign on. But if you don't claim credits it is unlikely to affect your ultimate State Pension - so long as you satisfy the yearly average PRSI conditions.
Claim
 
If I sign on for Jobseekers Benefit I am required to be looking for work. I won't be looking for work so I don't want to state that I am. Has the Department of Social Protection actually said that I do not have to be seeking work or is it a wink wink nudge nudge kind of thing?
I understand that by claiming various social welfare payments you are also getting "credits". I don't want to claim Jobseekers and I don't want to sign on for credits.
Is it possible that the Government is actually doing something illegal in forcing 65 year olds to sign on for Jobseekers Allowance knowing that they are not seeking employment but just to bridge their pensions and augment their existing PRSI "credits".
Or is it that the Government are hoping that many people will NOT have enough average PRSI contributions at 65 and for those of us who don't want to sign on for Jobseekers Benefit or claim credits that they can somehow say that we don't qualify for a State Pension because of this at age 66.
 
You can clearly do whatever you wish.
If you do claim Jobseekers, the Dept of SP will not expect you to be actively seeking work. Whatever the reason you may think that the Dept have adopted this policy of allowing 65 year olds to claim Jobseekers, that is the current policy.
The reality is that most Class A employees will tend to get the full State Pension (or close to full). It is very unlikely that one extra years PRSI will make much diffence.
 
Actually from age 62 onwards people on jobseekers just need to sign once a year at the unemployment office. I guess there is a general realisation that it is highly unlikely anyone over that age will be offered a job. It is even difficult to secure employment after the age of fifty, nevermind after 65.
 
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